Double Dragon 4 isn't terrible, but it's not very good, either. For better or worse, it feels like something the Double Dragon team would have cooked up in the early 1990s if they were making a NES-exclusive sequel. In doing that, it not only ignores the significant common-sense improvements the genre has made over the last twenty-five years, but also the very same advances its contemporary competition brought to the fore in the 16-bit era. I'm glad Kishimoto and company got a chance to revisit Double Dragon, but the result in many ways answers the question of how the series lost its shine to begin with.

If you've been looking for a fun but challenging digital board game with a lot of depth and a great visual style, Antihero is the game for you. There's plenty of content to play through and clever strategies to figure out, and all of that is dressed in a lovely art style. Now go take out all those street urchins and take over the town; just know that you're in for a challenge and will have to plan carefully and execute at just the right time.

If you're a fan of Brough's other games, this review was likely a pointless exercise. You already bought Cinco Paus. I can see it on your home screen. Put on some pants, friend. Similarly, if you've been turned off by his games in the past, I'm not sure anything I've said here will convince you that this is your magic moment. If you're new to this developer's games I think this is mechanically a nice one to start with, but the language thing might be off-putting so I'd probably point you towards 868-HACK [$4.99] instead. All I know is that good old Papai Noel brought me a great new game from one of my favorite developers this year, and I'm pretty happy about that.

It does a reasonable job of that most of the time, however. For just a few bucks, you get several hours of fun auto-running platforming that looks and feels like a Sonic game of this sort should. The difficulty curve could certainly use a little straightening out in places, but it's still quite engaging even when it's too easy, and not insurmountable when it's too hard. Overall, Sonic Runners Adventure is an easy game to recommend to Sonic fans and those who enjoy auto-runners. Past that, it's going to depend on how much you appreciate a slick presentation over tight level designs. If nothing else, it's the best original Sonic game on mobile. That's got to be worth a golden onion ring or two.

All in all, I have sincerely enjoyed my time with Animus- Stand Alone. It exemplifies the aspects that make the Dark Souls franchise so fun while condensing them down into a near-perfect package for mobile. The grind for cool-looking gear was a blast and I enjoyed feeling myself get stronger/better as a player. Animus- Stand Alone is currently the closest you will get to Dark Souls on mobile and it deserves to be commended for that fact alone.

The first episode literally had me craving for more and the wait for episode 2 was unbearable. You won’t need to worry about that because Episodes 2 and 3 are available right now via in app purchase with the remaining episodes launching early next year. I hope the visual issues and some performance issues are ironed out because this could end up being the best way to experience Life is Strange. The lack of proper controller support is baffling because this exists on multiple consoles. Out of all the point and click adventure experiences available today, Life is Strange is my favourite by a long shot. I hope this does well for Square Enix so they can port Life is Strange: Before the Storm as well.

If you enjoyed Limbo (or similar trial and error puzzle games), chances are you didn't even need this review to smash the buy button- You'll really dig Inside. However, if you're like me and aren't really into the obtuseness of it all, there's a lot to like about it but I'm not sure I'd consider the game a must-have.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a little different from the usual Ace Attorney game, but it carries a similar feel and quality that should please fans of the other games. The mobile version is sensibly improved from the original Nintendo DS release, as well. Adventure game fans would do well to give this game a look. As with other Ace Attorney games, it's a bit of a long haul, with over 20 hours of play required to reach the ending, but you won't notice the time passing by for a pretty good portion of that.

With its sense of artistic cohesion and its inventiveness, Gorogoa impressed me as few other puzzle games have, and I can't see any player who enjoys puzzle games even a bit not enjoying it. It might not be the longest game in App Store history, but it also doesn't overstay its welcome, which can be an issue with story-heavy puzzle games. Gorogoa really is a gem of a game that belongs on most people's devices and one that will cast its magic on you as soon as you start playing.

Fez is a very good game, and I love how the player never really faces any consequences for failure. It goes a long way in creating an experience that's fun from beginning to end, instead of being loaded with frustration because you ran out of continues and missed a jump. The virtual controls are basically in line with most other games that have reasonably decent virtual button configurations, but the "real" way to play Fez is with an MFi controller. Whether you pair a controller, or wrestle with virtual buttons, as long as you're actually playing Fez, you'll be in for a great time.

Quite simply, I’m a huge fan of Game Dev Tycoon and I love that we can finally play this title on iOS. It’s the perfect sort of game for mobile devices and there’s so much to do here in terms of developing personnel, researching items, and making games that there’s loads of replayability for quite a long time. An oldie, but a goodie, all players owe it to themselves to check out this great port.

Reigns: Her Majesty is an incredible followup that not only improves upon the original, but does it in subtle ways that still makes the first Reigns worth playing if you've never experienced it before. Despite playing very similar to each other, both are unique enough to stand on their own, so if Reigns: Her Majesty ends up being your first Reigns experience, you really owe it to yourself to also go back and play the original. If you were all about Reigns, you simply must download Reigns: Her Majesty. It will take mere moments before you fall in love with the formula again.

Should you buy FMT 2018 if you already own FMT 2017? That's always a tricky question with annual releases, but I think FMT 2018's improvements (and, of course, updated database) justify the purchase. The UI changes really make navigating the game easier, and the new additions offer extra information to those who want to get even more involved with the lives of their fictional players. The game does come with IAPs, but—as is always the case—they are just ways to make the game easier, if you like to take the easy road, or additional challenges. At $19.99 the game might sound expensive in mobile gaming terms, but FMT 2018 is worth every penny.

Looking beyond the simple equation of playtime for money, though, I'm not sure that the game does itself any favors in coupling such a long playtime with so deliberate a difficulty curve. I love this series and I think the gameplay mechanics are a blast, yet even I found myself wishing for the end to come well before it did. There's a great game in Cally's Caves 4, one that surpasses even the thrilling heights of the previous game. Unfortunately, it's served in a giant casserole dish with a lot of less savory bites, and you can't really pick out the lima beans here. In the end, the game taken as a whole isn't nearly as consistent in its quality as Cally's Caves 3. It's still more than worth a go, but make sure you're prepared for a lot of filler along with the killer.

Is GRID Autosport a perfect game? No, but it's pretty close to that. For instance, the menus could have been all on one screen so I don't have to scroll right and left all the time. And maybe some of the text could have been slightly larger on a phone. But this is me being nitpicky because GRID is a really amazing mobile game that fans of racing should buy immediately. Buying a game with so much content and one that plays so well for just $9.99 almost makes me feel guilty (almost). GRID Autosport is a great port of a great game, and despite a few little issues, it should be a no brainer. If you decide to grab it, keep in mind that it takes about 6 GB on your device and will only play (or at least play well) on an iPhone SE, iPhone 7 or newer, iPad (2017), iPad Pros, and requires iOS 11. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a supercar to drive down a long, long straight.

Reviewing Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp feels like a necessary formality more than anything else. It's a game with over a year of hype behind it, the Nintendo seal of quality stamped on it, and it's from an IP that couldn't be more beloved. I'd recommend everyone giving it a shot, as you can play for quite a long time before hitting any kind of free to play limitations... And who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with the Animal Crossing universe and be one of those people to pick up a 3DS just to play New Leaf.

How utterly fantastic this mobile re-imagination of Lineage II is has the wheels turning in my head of what other awesome MMORPGs are there out there that enterprising developers could re-release as a auto-play mobile progress game that wouldn't also be just as awesome? If nothing else, NetMarble significantly upped the ante on what we can expect in games like this, and I really hope both Nexon and Square Enix are paying attention when it comes to the upcoming mobile port of Final Fantasy XI. NetMarble has really outdone themselves, and it's going to be hard for other developers to catch up.

If I wasn’t a sci-fi lover expecting more of a story, I probably wouldn’t have been disappointed by the story and just enjoyed the solid puzzles and fantastic visuals. And the game does a wonderful job of planting those seeds of wonder and inquisitiveness. As you explore this alien ship and get hints of their culture and even their biology, it creates a genuine sense of awe and intrigue for those players like me who are highly susceptible to that kind of content and in that frame of mind. This is the debut game of the creative Copenhagen based Fantastic, (yes, actual studio name), and what a debut it is. I’m looking forward to seeing this game completed, and whatever else they put out in the future.

Premium arcade games with no IAP are as much of a rarity as ever these days. These developers have created an engaging and destruction filled game full of cool stuff to collect, kill, and become. Rebel Twins seems to continue improving with every game, and they deserve the price of admission. If you liked the first one, give this a shot for the variety it brings to the old formula, and if you haven’t played it, feel free to jump in. I’d still recommend playing both, honestly. Great mostly-mindless action fun.

Chilling, thought-provoking, and decidedly human, Heart of the House is an excellent piece of interactive fiction. If you have any appreciation for choice-based narratives at all, you'll probably enjoy this one. It doesn't play around much with the conventional mechanics of the genre, but what it creates within them is about as much as anyone could ask for.

If you've got an appetite for unusual games, have good reflexes, and a keen ability to assess patterns quickly, Million Onion Hotel was made just for you. If you don't? Well, you'll probably have a good time with it anyway. It can be really confusing at times, but usually in a good way. As iOS gamers, we're fortunate enough to have a wealth of stylish puzzle games with personality to burn, but I can promise you that none of them are as adorably eccentric as this onion-plucking pleasure cruise.

If you approach Final Fantasy Dimensions 2 with the appropriate expectations, I think you'll find it a reasonably enjoyable game. It's a little too watered down for me to give it too emphatic a recommendation, particularly given the price bracket it's sitting in. At the same time, however, I can't say I didn't have a lot of fun with it, nor can I say that it didn't offer a sufficient amount of content for the price. This isn't a normal RPG by any stretch, but that might make it more appealing to some who are tired of the usual fare. If nothing else, it's absolutely fascinating to see a game that was very much free-to-play from top to bottom in its original incarnation become a decent offline one-and-done paid title.

All in all, STANDBY is a brutally difficult and precise platformer that will frustrate you to the point of loving it. It has distinct visuals, heart-pumping music, great level designs, and responsive touch controls. It's difficulty might turn-off some people but it's incredibly rewarding when you persevere to increase your skill and complete its challenging levels. Make sure to check out our forums to see how your times measure up to others and don't forget to leave impressions of your own!

No one can say the developers of Glyph Quest Chronicles didn't give other methods of monetization a fair try, so it's hard to get upset at them for going in another direction this time around. Nevertheless, while the end result might be more profitable for them, the means to get there have resulted in a worse experience for the end user. I appreciate the many ways the team tried to soften the free-to-play blow, and I certainly like the many little improvements they've made to the mechanics, but it's not enough to balance out the equation. There's still a great puzzle game in here somewhere, but it's never been harder to appreciate it.

Warhammer Quest 2: The End Times is exactly what I wanted to see in this sequel. The game play is fun, challenging, intuitive, and compelling—pretty much the mix of adjectives you want for a video game. Perchang didn't try to reinvent the wheel here, they stuck with what worked well in the original and updated things where it made sense to do so. Whether you're a fan of Warhammer Quest, or tactical-combat games in general, picking up The End Times is an easy decision. Do it. If you're looking for more information on the game you should head to our forums where the page count for Warhammer Quest 2 is growing by the day. Perchang developers have also been active participants in the discussion there and have shared quite a bit about the game.

All in all, Kick Ass Commandos could not have a more fitting adjective in its title. It kicks ass, plain and simple. If you are looking for an action-packed romp through ridiculous environments and set pieces, look no further than this game. It's over the top with its humor, visuals, gameplay, and quality.

Beyond Oasis is a flawed gem in the Genesis line-up. Unfortunately, some emulation issues and the nature of virtual controls magnify a few of its flaws, and it will almost certainly make you angry at times as a result. Nevertheless, the game can still be enjoyed in its current form, and on balance is probably one of the best action-RPGs currently available to mobile gamers. I'm very happy SEGA selected it for the SEGA Forever line-up. If you've never tried Beyond Oasis before, you'll definitely want to give it a chance. Even more than two decades later, the adventure of Prince Ali (amorous he) remains quite a bit of fun and rather unique to boot.